Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Experts say that the cold snap is Russia’s longest in decades. The cold weather has crippled the country’s infrastructure, according to Russia Today. There is not even water available and residents have to melt snow to get water. Subfreezing weather and heavy snowfall have stopped flights and congested traffic. Clearing the snow is proving a challenge even for heavy machinery with snow covering as high as five metres in some areas.

As Japan continues to deal with a persisting cold front, Christmas Day brought record low temperatures to as many as 44 locations, mostly in the northern region and on the island of Hokkaido. The Japan Meteorological Agency warned that cold temperatures would last throughout the week, with more heavy snowfall in the north and areas that face the Sea of Japan.